Welcome to our first installment of “Three Up, Three Down” where we look at the players who performed well and those who struggled in the last week. This is a long season so one week of performance doesn’t mean much, but it’s always good to know when a player is on a hot streak or slumping. There are many times when a strong waiver-wire target cracks this list, so keep an eye out.
Three Up:
1. Minnesota Twins Outfielder Byron Buxton — Please stay healthy! One of my bets to win American League MVP came out scorching hot in the first series of the year. Buxton hit three home runs against the Seattle Mariners and collected four RBIs. The only reason the 28-year-old isn’t consistently mentioned with the elite players in baseball is because of his inability to stay on the field. Buxton made his debut in 2015 but has played in more than 100 games once in his career. Buxton started off 2021 strong as well but ended up being limited to only 61 games due to injury. I’m cautiously optimistic, as I want to see what kind of numbers we will see if Buxton can play 130 games.
2. New York Yankees Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton — I couldn’t decide who to give the nod to so I will spotlight both. The Yankees won two games in their first series, and most of that has to do with the offensive performances of Rizzo and Stanton. The veterans both hit two home runs, while Rizzo was on base 50 percent of the time and drove in six runs. Stanton collected five hits, and one of his home runs had an exit velocity of 116.3 mph. Rizzo hasn’t been a major fantasy impact player since 2019, so it will be interesting to see how this year shakes out. If both players are playing well, it’s going to be a nightmare for pitchers to try to navigate a Yankees lineup that also includes Aaron Judge.
3. San Francisco Giants Starting Pitcher Carlos Rodon — The Giants don’t get enough credit for how they handle a pitching staff. The organization turned Kevin Gausman’s career around and Logan Webb is now considered one of the better young pitchers in baseball. Rodon could see his career take off even more if his first start is any indication. The 29-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 as he finished with a 2.37 ERA with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to last season, the left-hander only had one season with an ERA under 4.00. In 24 starts last year, Rodon had two appearances in which he finished with at least 12 strikeouts. It took exactly one start for Rodon to hit that mark in 2022, as he finished with 12 strikeouts in five innings against the Miami Marlins. Rodon was really good last season and there’s a chance he may be better this year.
Three Down:
1. Toronto Blue Jays Starting Pitcher Jose Berrios — Pitching will be the theme this week, as many struggled in their first starts of the year. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as the shortened spring training really impacted how pitchers prepared for the upcoming season. Berrios struggled mightily in his season debut, as the right-hander didn’t even make it out of the first inning. The 27-year-old allowed three hits, walked two and four earned runs in one third of an inning. There will be plenty more better days for Berrios, but it was a rough one to start the year.
2. Milwaukee Brewers Starting Pitcher Brandon Woodruff — How bad was it for the 29-year-old right-hander? In 30 starts last season, Woodruff never had a start in which he struck out three hitters or fewer. Woodruff also never allowed more than six earned runs in any of those starts. Woodruff checked both of those boxes in his first start of the year, as the righty allowed seven earned runs while striking out only two in 3.2 innings. Woodruff finished with a 2.56 ERA in 2021 and will have his work cut out for him to try to get back to that number this season. I’m not worried about Berrios or Woodruff long term, but seeing them struggle more than they ever have just shows that they weren’t fully ready for the season. It may take another start or two before they are locked in for the remainder of the year.
3. Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Cedric Mullins — The outfielder had a breakout season in 2021, as he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases. The start of the 2022 season hasn’t been kind, as Mullins struck out seven times in only 11 at-bats. The 27-year-old did collect two hits, one walk, a hit by pitch and a stolen base so not all was lost during the first series. The bigger concern is the strikeouts. Mullins struck out 11 times in 33 plate appearances in spring training and to finish last year’s amazing season, the lefty struck out eight times in his final six games. One of the hardest things to do in sports is to be consistent. Mullins has set the baseline of what to expect and now he will have to figure out a way to prove that wasn’t a fluke. This is a player who was demoted all the way to Double-A in 2019 and abandoned switch-hitting due to his struggles from the right side of the plate. I’m not close to hopping off the bandwagon, but it appears the league has made adjustments to Mullins and now he will have to make his own adjustments to get back on track.
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